Cranked Issue #21

Cranked #21 is different.

In the midst of the beginning of the global covid pandemic and a strict lockdown, we found ourselves stuck for material to put a magazine together. Luckily, editor Seb has been writing about bikes, and photographing them, for longer than he cares to remember. He had a rummage in his extensive archive. And a plan began to form.

So Cranked #21 became a celebration of 21 years of mountain biking, viewed through the prism of one mans camera and laptop. From the birth of freeride in British Columbia in the late 90s to the Iranian refugee who left his family behind to pursue his dream of racing the World Cup circuit, its an eclectic and not by any means comprehensive view of mountain biking. But we think youll like it.

Interspersed with the archive material are Guy Kestevens incisive re-reviews of 32 classic bikes – the ones that changed the way we ride, the ones that tried to do that but didnt, and a few that stick in the memory just because.

Its 2020 hindsight, and its fascinating.

Fro Bros | Just the Tip | The other ground zero | BMW | A better mousetrap | Bender | The Whyte Stuff | Roberts | Dangerous Dan | South Downs Double | The XX Factor | Keith Bontrager, unplugged | One Man Brand | A question of faith

Rocky Mountain RM6 | On-One Inbred | Whyte PRST-1 | Cannondale Raven | Gary Fisher Supercaliber | Maverick ML7 | Cannondale Scalpel | Santa Cruz Blur | Cotic Soul | Specialized Epic | Orange Five | Giant Reign | Commencal Meta 5 | DMR Trailstar | Scott Ransom | Ibis Mojo | Lapierre Zesty & Spicy | Pacenti 650B | Trek Session 88 | Giant Anthem X & 29 | Santa Cruz Tallboy | Ragley Blue Pig | Canyon Nerve FS | Scott Scale RC29 | Whyte 901 | Evil Undead | Yeti SB66 | Cube Stereo Super HPC 160 | Mondraker Foxy FG | Voodoo Bizango | Specialized Enduro 29er | Mojo Nicolai Ion